Apekop train makes its last regular passenger trip
The Mat '64, the "Apekop" (monkey head) train that NS withdrew in 2016 and that returned last year as a stand-in, made its final scheduled trip today.
The Mat '64, nicknamed the Apekop, ran its last regular passenger service today. It left Barneveld Zuid at 12.25.
The train had already left the timetable once. NS took the last Mat '64 units out of service in 2016. Last year it came back unexpectedly on the Amersfoort to Ede-Barneveld Zuid route, because operator Keolis was short of trains while part of its existing fleet was being refurbished.
Keolis rented a Mat '64 from Stichting 2454CRW, a group of volunteers that maintains old trains. The return drew enthusiastic reactions. At the end of this year the foundation takes the museum train back into its own management.
The Mat '64 (Materieel '64) was the last train type built in the Netherlands. The first units ran in 1961, and at its peak hundreds were in service, mainly as stopping trains. Its prominent nose gave it the nickname. The rounded design resembles the Hondekop (dog head), which is ten years older.
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Keolis
Keolis is a French-owned public transport company that runs passenger train and bus services in several countries, including the Netherlands. In the Netherlands it operates regional rail and bus services under concessions awarded by the public authorities, rather than the national NS network. Because these contracts require operators to provide a set number of trains on fixed routes, Keolis's rolling stock and timetables are what determine which regional lines run and with which trains.